Board of Directors

Lauren Stiles, JD - President Lauren holds a B.A. in Earth & Space Science, with a Minor in Marine Science, from the State University of New York at Stony Brook. She completed a two-year Rockefeller Brothers Fund Fellowship, during which she provided fundraising and public relations consulting services to numerous non-profits. After graduating with honors from Pace University School of Law, she joined a private practice in New York where she focused on environmental law and policy. Lauren has served in leadership positions on several government councils, non-profit boards and professional associations. She developed postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome (POTS) symptoms overnight at the age 31. After a relentless two-year quest to find an underlying cause for her symptoms, she was finally diagnosed with autonomic neuropathy caused by an autoimmune disease, Sjogren's Syndrome. Since co-founding Dysautonomia International in 2012, Lauren has been an outspoken advocate for individuals living with autonomic disorders. She has lectured on autonomic disorders during U.S. Congressional Briefings and at the National Institutes of Health, Harvard Medical School, Duke University, and numerous other medical schools and hospitals. In 2018, Lauren joined the faculty at Stony Brook University School of Medicine as a Research Assistant Professor of Neurology, where she focuses on autonomic disorders research. She lives with her husband, jack russell terrier, and six amusing chickens on Long Island.

Reenie Collins - Vice President Reenie holds a Bachelors of Journalism from the University of Texas at Austin and is proud to be among the few true native Austinites and to be a fifth generation Texan. Reenie was the Executive Director of Health Alliance for Austin Musicians (HAAM) for many years and is a seasoned executive and consultant with more than 25 year’s experience in healthcare administration, marketing, and planning. Prior to joining HAAM, Reenie held a variety of positions within the Seton Healthcare System at The Seton Fund and Seton Shoal Creek Hospital. Reenie was also the Vice President for Business Development for the Texas Region of Tenet Healthcare and ran a successful healthcare consulting company. She has worked with multiple hospital systems and nonprofit organizations in Texas and in Los Angeles, CA. She maintains active involvement in several community organizations including the Helping Hand Home for Children and The Seton Development Board. During the course of her 25 year career in working with healthcare and nonprofit organizations she had a proven track record of leading teams through successful change and developing strong community and patient mission driven programs. She also has extensive fundraising, project management, program development, strategic planning, and marketing/communications experience. Reenie became interested in dysautonomia advocacy through her daughter Cece’s journey with POTS.

Jacqueline Rutter - Secretary Jackie holds a Bachelor's in Design from the former Rivier College (now University) in New Hampshire. For many years, she was a senior designer for advertising and technology firms before opening her own corporate communications company in Andover, Massachusetts. Her business serviced corporations in the technology, biotechnology and medical device industries. Later, she continued her design work, dedicating most of her efforts to non-profits, while homeschooling her children. More recently, Jackie has devoted her energy to advocacy on behalf of patients suffering from autonomic disorders, including POTS. Her daughter was diagnosed with POTS in 2014 after a nearly seven-year struggle to understand the myriad symptoms plaguing her. With a desire to help other families avoid a lengthy misdiagnosis and help patients find better treatments, Jackie and her family (Team Hanna G and ME) have been active fundraisers and volunteers for Dysautonomia International. She lives with her husband in Ipswich, Massachusetts.

Shannon Koplitz - Treasurer Shannon holds a Bachelor of Science with honors from the University of Florida. Upon graduation, she was recruited to and completed the three-year Citi(group) Leadership Development Program, during which she received intensive leadership training, held various positions within the corporate offices in Florida and New York, and led educational outreach programs to local public high schools. After completing the program, she began her career at Dasan Zhone Solutions, Inc (formerly Zhone Technologies) where she has held positions within manufacturing, product line management, and most recently was a founding member of the Financial Planning & Analysis team where she holds the position of Senior Analyst. Shannon has served in leadership positions on several educational associations, professional associations, and non-profit boards. At 27, she developed POTS symptoms and suffered six years before being diagnosed. Shannon’s involvement with Dysautonomia International began at the annual conference in 2017 where she lobbied on Capitol Hill. She helped launch Dysautonomia International’s Florida Support Group which quickly grew in membership. Since then, she has organized and hosted over 20 educational events throughout the state of Florida, and presented at Dysautonomia International’s Education Day. Her personal experience, coupled with those she has met throughout her journey, fuels her passion to further advance awareness, education, and research in hopes of finding a cure for all forms of dysautonomia. Shannon resides in Florida and enjoys spending her leisure time boating with her husband and two young children.

Amy Kohut, JD Amy holds a B.A. in Law & Society and a B.A. in Psychology from the University of California at Santa Barbara, and a J.D. from California Western School of Law. During law school, she was diagnosed with POTS and Ehlers-Danlos syndrome after several years of misdiagnoses. Following her diagnosis, Amy began patient outreach and advocacy through social media to help other individuals avoid the diagnostic delay she experienced. She founded California POTSies in 2009, which later became the Dysautonomia International California Support Group. After admission to the California Bar, she worked in healthcare compliance and auditing for two major commercial health insurance companies. Amy served as the founding Chair of Dysautonomia International’s Patient Advisory Board and she enjoys lecturing at medical conferences on behalf of Dysautonomia International. Amy also has an interest in improving access to medical care for over 10 million active duty members, family members, and veterans served by the US Military healthcare system. Currently, Amy and her husband are stationed in Belgium.

Liza Fisher, MBA, RTY200 Liza is a national healthcare advocate and yoga teacher committed to providing education around Long COVID & IACC's. After Long COVID and the multiple diagnosis of infection associated complex chronic illnesses resulted in being disabled, her eyes were opened to the world of under acknowledged and researched complex chronic illnesses effecting millions. This led to involvement in advocacy, research and policy. Through her advocacy efforts, Liza has tirelessly worked to educate the public, healthcare professionals, and policymakers about Long COVID. She has organized awareness campaigns, spoken at conferences, and engaged with media outlets to shine a light on the often-overlooked aspects of this complex condition. Liza is a patient representative for National Institutes of Health's RECOVER Initiative and a patient expert of the University of South Carolina's COVID Patient Engagement Studio. Liza also serves on the Long COVID Alliance's Executive Committee and has testified before Congress on behalf of Long COVID patients. Liza, along with fellow advocate Cynthia Adinig, are co-founders of BIPOC Equity Agency, a diversity, equity, and inclusion consulting agency focused on health equity advocacy.

Salvatore DeSena, MD Sal is the President and Chief Executive Officer at NX Development Corp, a life sciences company dedicated to pioneering groundbreaking advancements for cancer patients and their surgeons. Sal has established successful radiology and teleradiology practices, practiced as a physician in New York City, and held medical affairs positions in major publicly traded companies, including GE Healthcare and Bayer Healthcare. Sal is known for his successful collaborations with regulatory agencies and distribution partners in driving healthcare innovation. Born and raised in Brooklyn, NY, Sal embarked on his academic journey at Polytechnic University, earning a Bachelor of Science degree in Electrical Engineering. As a distinguished Bell Labs Scholar, he pursued a Master of Science in Engineering Economic Systems at Stanford University. Driven by a passion for medicine, he attended the State University of New York Downstate Health Sciences Center. He completed a radiology residency at Robert Wood Johnson Medical School and a Body MRI Fellowship at The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. After practicing as a physician for several years, he obtained an MBA with certification in Health Sector Management from the Fuqua School of Business. Sal has also served as Deputy Director of US Medical Affairs for Bayer's radiology contrast agent portfolio and Head of Medical Affairs for GE Healthcare’s North America radiology contrast agent portfolio. Sal resides in the Greater Philadelphia Area with his wife and two children. His daughter was diagnosed with POTS at age 16.